I changed the oil all by myself

[RoadKids]

Hi.

I'm RoadKid #2.

Dad let me change the oil in Mom's minivan yesterday all by myself and I did a good job. Nothing was leaking when I was done and the engine didn't blow up.

Dad let me jack the car up and put it on stands. He just watched to make sure everything was done right. He helped a little bit with some things like when I couldn't unscrew the filler cap and he set the torque wrench for me. But I got to do the rest. I've helped Dad a lot with cars but this was the first time I got to really do something by myself.

I was really excited and proud so I told my friend Tony about it yesterday and he said that it wasn't a very girlie thing to do. I said, "You would know what's girlie and what's not." I don't think he got it.

Dad said maybe I should let you all know that I changed oil for the first time and maybe you would understand.

I tried to rotate the tires but couldn't get the bolts off even with Dad's long bar. He brought out the impact wrench but it scared me when I first used it. It was a lot louder than when Dad uses it. I couldn't lift the wheels off by myself so Dad did that, too, but I rolled them to where they needed to be. I wasn't strong even to get the bolts tight again so I let Dad torque them down.

Dad said it was perfect and he was really proud of me and in a few more years he won't even have to help.

C

[glb]

very, very good.

Did you remember to fill the oil filter w/new oil before installing it?

(If dad doesn't do this, you now have ammo.)

Remember that torque wrenches should be stored @ 0 ft/lbs.

I like the sound of the impact wrench...makes me feel like an actual mechanic.

Very cool stuff on your part...and the joke.

[Icedog_16]

Good for you! You're waaaay ahead of me. The first oil change I did, I was 35! (Of course, I had to wait to have a Lotus before I figured I'd give it a shot! )

[RoadKids]

Before I could change the oil by myself, one of my jobs was to pour the oil. We always put oil in the filter first. I dropped it on Dad once and spilled oil all over his shirt and pants. He laughed at me. He said at least it was the clean oil and not the dirty stuff.

[V-RAPTOR]

Great job!

[BrendanDolan]

I remember the first time I changed oil on a car, and what a sense of accomplishment it was to me. I went to school the next day (I was in the 5th grade) and bragged to all of my friends.

Great job!

[Cegan09]

congratulations. First time for me was a year ago (19). Since then I've pulled an engine, opened it up, put it back together and back in the car, and I'm in the middle of putting everything back together.

you'll know how to do all your own maintenance by the time you have a car. enjoy the learning.

[Blonde1]

Very cool... Reading your post reminds me of all the hours I spent in the garage with my dad when I was growing up. He always had a project car of some sort, and he did all the maintenance on our cars, of course.

Tony was probably just intimidated. I have a sneaking feeling you'll run into that a lot in the future.

[dbisbee]

Way to go. Very impressed! What a great dad to work with you on it. Next thing you know you'll be turning wrenches for the drag strip!

Once again congratulations.

[RacyTracy]

C....nice job!!! Maybe when you're a little older you can change people's oil instead of doing babysitting jobs.

I remember being with my dad in the garage while he worked on his Porsche. I don't really remember him letting me do much though....I was mostly watching. Ask your dad if he's old enough to remember when oil came in cans instead of plastic bottles. You had to push a pointy spout into a metal lid on a cardboard can. It was really messy.

[kestrel74]

Originally Posted by RacyTracy

Ask your dad if he's old enough to remember when oil came in cans instead of plastic bottles. You had to push a pointy spout into a metal lid on a cardboard can. It was really messy.

I'm glad I'm not old enough to remember that !!!

[RacyTracy]

Originally Posted by kestrel74

I'm glad I'm not old enough to remember that !!!

I'll send you a picture....

[fitfan]

Originally Posted by kestrel74

I'm glad I'm not old enough to remember that !!!

oh no!! i am old!!! i was just thinking the other day about when you couldn't "buy" a telephone, and how weird it was to go to the store with my parents to "buy" their first phone! funny. maybe one day cable boxes will be like that.

congrats on your oil change adventures! next up, bleed the brakes!!

[Z-dculus]

that's awesome! learn more lotus stuff and i'll pay you to work on my car lol!

[macdady2424]

That's awesome. I wish my dad would have let me done stuff like that when I was growing up. All I got to do was change tires. I didn't start tinkering with higher end stuff like that till I was around 16 or so. You're years ahead of me now. Although for some reason, when I hit 12, I was the one who was always sent on the 2 story roof of our house for any repairs.

[Blonde1]

Originally Posted by macdady2424

Although for some reason, when I hit 12, I was the one who was always sent on the 2 story roof of our house for any repairs.

I believe that's the "crunch all you want, we'll make more" approach to parenting.

[apk919]

Originally Posted by RacyTracy

C....nice job!!! Maybe when you're a little older you can change people's oil instead of doing babysitting jobs.

I remember being with my dad in the garage while he worked on his Porsche. I don't really remember him letting me do much though....I was mostly watching. Ask your dad if he's old enough to remember when oil came in cans instead of plastic bottles. You had to push a pointy spout into a metal lid on a cardboard can. It was really messy.

Originally Posted by kestrel74

I'm glad I'm not old enough to remember that !!!

Crap, I guess I'm old too. On the other hand, my Dad made me tune up his car before he let me use it the first time. Oops, "tune up"... showing my age again...

Show of hands: who's old enough to have gapped a set of points? Anyone?

OK, who's actually seen a set of points?

[RacyTracy]

Originally Posted by apk919

Show of hands: who's old enough to have gapped a set of points? Anyone?

OK, who's actually seen a set of points?

I think I still have a few sets around here for a VW Beetle.

[Aedo]

Originally Posted by apk919

Crap, I guess I'm old too. On the other hand, my Dad made me tune up his car before he let me use it the first time. Oops, "tune up"... showing my age again...

Show of hands: who's old enough to have gapped a set of points? Anyone?

OK, who's actually seen a set of points?

Hey - points aren't that old!

[apk919]

Originally Posted by Aedo

Hey - points aren't that old!

Maybe, but when was that last time you drove a car with points? For the record, my '67 Plymouth (with a 383 cu.in. old school Magnum) had a Mallory dual point distributor... and a four-lobed distributor cam instead of an eight-lobed cam. So there were two sets of points to gap...